A healthy ketchup recipe and other classic cleaned up condiments will help you kick summer off with a bang!

Memorial Day is upon us, which means the summer fun is about to begin. Cue the Value-Pack* Ketchup, Mustard, and Mayonnaise! Unfortunately, most conventional condiments (with the exception of mustard) are not exactly “Clean Cuisine.” This summer, why not “clean” up your favorite summer BBQ staples with healthier and tastier remakes of your favorites.

I originally shared my dairy-free and oil-free mayonnaise in our 4th of July Recipes Feature  (a perfectly suitable menu for Memorial Day too!) but figured now is as good a time as any to show you just how easy and delicious it is to clean up a few other condiment favorites…

Did you know you can make a ketchup recipe that is every bit as sweet as the beloved Heinz version, but with zero added sugar (and no artificial sweeteners either!) Or that sour cream can be made without dairy?

Regardless of whether you and your guests want to eat healthy or not, the no-sugar added ketchup recipe, BBQ sauce and dairy-free homemade sour cream below taste so much better than anything you can possibly buy at the store. So if you are trying to boost the flavor or the nutritional profile of your food, our Clean Cuisine homemade condiments are up for the job!

*Note: most packaged yellow mustard is already clean, so that’s one you can buy in the “Value” size! Make sure to always check the ingredients though, just in case! 😉

Properly Storing Your Healthy Condiments:

Proper storage is the key to extending the freshness of your healthy condiments. Glass jars with good seals are the best (I love the vintage mini mason Ball Heritage Collection Pint Jars). If you store your homemade condiments properly they will stay fresh and delicious for longer than you might think. The sour cream and mayo will keep for up to a week and the ketchup will keep for 3 to 4 weeks. Just be sure to use fresh spoons and no eating out of the jar!

The Condiment-Making Magic Appliance

To make truly nutritious condiments that don’t have globs of oil or sugar you really do need a good quality high-speed blender, otherwise you simply won’t be able to get the desired smooth consistency. When it comes to blenders, you really do get what you pay for. Hands down, the Vitamix is the gold-standard high speed blender for professional chefs and anyone serious about eating clean at home (you can read HERE how the Vitamix totally changed the way our family eats and cooks.)

The downside to the Vitamix is that it is a bit pricey (though did you know you can get a certified reconditioned one for just $379?) But, if you don’t want to spend the money on a Vitamix, I get it.

Here are a few additional good high-speed blender brand options listed below:
Oster 1400 Watt Professional Performance Blender
Cuisinart CBT-1000 PowerEdge
Blendtec
Omega B2500L Commercial

Clean Cuisine Vegan Mayo:

I have yet to find a truly healthy prepared mayo, much less one that actually tastes good. Store-bought “real” mayonnaise that is made with eggs will never be healthy because the eggs have to be pasteurized in order to have a long shelf-life. Plus, store-bought mayo uses globs of oil (oil is never as healthy as the “whole food” from which it was derived) and to make matters worse, every brand of mayo I have ever seen uses refined oil, which is basically just an empty calorie ingredient. The “low fat” versions are even worse because they taste terrible and the ingredients are highly refined. Even though I have nothing against eggs (assuming they are pasture-raised), I still can’t bring myself to make mayo from raw eggs, which is what most homemade mayo recipes call for—and of course a lot of oil too. My Clean Cuisine version is eggless and contains no added oil, but I promise it is every bit as rich and creamy as any good mayo should be!

Vegan Mayo Recipe

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Ingredients

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• 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
• 1/2 cup raw cashews
• 3 tablespoons hemp seeds
• 1/4 cup raw macadamia nuts
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 teaspoon raw honey
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix) and process until smooth and creamy. The oil free mayo should keep for at least 5 days if stored in a covered container in the refrigerator.

Clean Cuisine Ketchup Recipe:

“Ketchup Ketchup in a bottle, none will come and then a lottle”—it’s a little rhyme my dad, Norman Ingram, made up a long time ago and every time I would add ketchup to my food when I was little (which was a lot!) he would always sing his little tune! Now that I am all grown up I have not outgrown my love for ketchup. To his day, my husband always cringes when we are at a fancy restaurant and I ask the waiter to please bring the ketchup bottle ha ha! Even though I know commercial ketchup is complete junk I just love it so much I can’t not eat it. The problem with me and ketchup is that I don’t like to use it in moderation! So, when at home, I make my own. The Clean Cuisine ketchup recipe below can be eaten in abundance as it is made entirely from healthy and nourishing ingredients.

Clean Cuisine Ketchup Recipe

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Ingredients

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• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar (such as Bragg’s)
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (such as Annie’s Organic Worcestershire) (look for gluten free option if following a GF diet)
• ¼ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 8 pitted dates

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Place the tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet, drizzle with the oil and toss to coat; roast tomatoes for 40 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven, add the chopped onions and roast the tomatoes with the onions for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tomatoes are very soft. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and set aside to cool.
3. Add the cooled tomatoes and onions to a high speed blender (my favorite is the Vitamix) along with the garlic, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, salt and dates.

Clean Cuisine Sour Cream:

If you love sour cream and also want to eat clean (and have your sour cream taste good!), then your only option is to make it yourself. Unfortunately, I cannot find one single “Clean Cuisine-approved” sour cream recipe to recommend. Luckily, making homemade sour cream is a breeze…

Clean Cuisine Sour Cream Recipe

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Ingredients

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• 1 cup raw cashews (preferably soaked for 1 or 2 hours)
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup organic coconut yogurt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon unrefined sea salt (plus more to taste)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon raw apple cider vinegar (such as Braggs)
• 1 teaspoon raw honey

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a high-speed blender and process until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes.

Clean Cuisine BBQ Sauce:

I am almost as crazy for BBQ sauce as I am for ketchup (almost!) Thus, I have a number of different BBQ sauces that I make and love, but I think this one, which was inspired by mangoes from my parents backyard (in south Florida), is my favorite. It’s got a fun and spunky kick too!

Clean Cuisine BBQ Sauce Recipe

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Ingredients

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• 1 Teaspoon cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 jalapeno (finely chopped)
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 cup frozen mango pieces
• 4 pitted dates
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon organic Worcestershire Sauce (such as Annie’s Natural’s) (look for gluten free version if following a GF diet)
• 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
• 2 Tablespoons water

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a small skillet over medium heat; add the jalapeno and saute until softened, 3 or 4 minutes.
2. Transfer to a high-speed blender (such as a Vitamix) or food-processor.
3. Add the remaining ingredients; blend or process until smooth and creamy.
4. Set the sauce aside.